The weekend sales reflected the growing box-office appeal
of Chastain. She received a best-actress Oscar nomination this
month for her portrayal in “Zero Dark Thirty” of a relentless
CIA officer who uncovers key information that leads to the
killing of bin Laden

In “Mama,” two young girls disappear in the woods on the
day their mother is murdered. Five years later, they are
discovered living in a feral state in a remote cabin.

Their uncle and his girlfriend, played by Chastain, take
them in. Soon after the girls arrive, the couple discovers that
a malevolent force has followed the girls into the home. Nicolaj
Coster-Waldau co-stars as the uncle.

“Zero Dark Thirty,” also nominated for best picture, is
benefiting from Oscar buzz and the political debate over the
film’s depiction of harsh interrogation techniques by the CIA.

CIA Operatives

Dianne Feinstein, who chairs the U.S. Senate Intelligence
Committee, has said the movie falsely suggests techniques such
as waterboarding provided key information. The California
Democrat has called for an investigation into whether the CIA
has been honest about the value of such methods.

“Zero Dark Thirty” follows a team of operatives who use a
variety of methods, including interrogation, satellite photos
and on-the-ground surveillance, to locate bin Laden’s compound
in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The movie also depicts bin Laden’s 2011
death during a raid by U.S. Navy Seals.

In addition to Chastain, the film features Joel Edgerton,
Kyle Chandler and James Gandolfini.

In “The Last Stand,” Schwarzenegger plays a former Los
Angeles Police Department detective who moves into semi-
retirement by becoming the sheriff of a small town on the
Mexican border.

His quiet life is disrupted when a drug kingpin escapes
from FBI custody. The film, distributed by Lions Gate
Entertainment Corp. (LGF), also features Forest Whitaker and Luis Guzman.